


The Walk

by Bolt_DMC



Category: Bolt (2008)
Genre: Music, Post-Canon, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-09-30 15:15:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20449202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bolt_DMC/pseuds/Bolt_DMC
Summary: Penny and Bolt go on their regular weekend walk. It's an occasion for the girl to sort through typical teen problems as well as a chance for the two to enjoy each other's company. A little adolescent angst occurs along the way, of course. Primary cultural references include songs by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds as well as a few other pop music odds and ends.





	The Walk

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: October 2010.
> 
> For Nduli a.k.a. Kese.

1.

Saturday -- a day when Penny could leave school and life behind and just spend the afternoon walking the country roads with Bolt. While the dog and Mittens had been inseparable since declaring their love for each other a few months ago, the little shepherd nevertheless regularly got to spend quality weekend time with his beloved human. And crisp fall days made such activities especially enjoyable in this part of the country.

Penny’s iPod played a background bounty of retro gems by Nick Lowe ("American Squirm," "Big Kick, Plain Scrap," "Music for Money," and "They Called It Rock," among others) and Dave Edmunds covers ("Crawling From the Wreckage," "Bad Is Bad," and "Queen of Hearts" -- this last predating the Juice Newton sound-alike hit by a couple years). She stretched her arms in the air with exhilaration and looked at the pooch with a grin as they trotted along.

"Sheesh," she said. "I’ve already got quite the reputation at school as an eccentric, don’t I? The former child TV star with the menagerie at home who likes all that ancient indie-pop and classic rock and jazz and classical music. So what am I supposed to do, pretend Miley Cyrus’s ‘Party in the USA’ is the greatest song ever just ‘cause Jenny the majorette thinks so? Sorry, but that’s not my style. Give me something by the Ramones or Talking Heads or XTC or early Katrina and the Waves any day. Good, sturdy stuff for an action girl. Plus, if you ask me, there's nothing grandfatherly about ‘Yer Blues’ by the Beatles or ‘Long Dark Road’ by the Hollies or ‘(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction’ by the Stones. Sorry to break it to you, Miss Tastemistress Supreme, but good is good. Can't change that. Bolty, you just wait -- it’ll be the rubber room for me before you know it."

The dog turned his head towards Penny without breaking stride, an earnestly serious look crossing his face. "Not while I'm around," he thought. "Nobody's putting you anyplace you don't want to go if I’ve got something to say about it." The girl giggled at Bolt when she saw his purposeful expression.

"Funny how things change when you know what you want to do in life, isn't it?" she continued. "I always hated math and science, but now that I want to be a veterinarian, I can't get enough of either. Oh -- while you're at it, add ‘nerd’ to the rubber room list for me."

Lowe’s bouncy "Heart of the City" came on, one of the girl’s favorites. "Perfect for breaking into an impromptu run," she thought with a smile as she picked up speed, and the dog followed suit. Penny waited for the tune to finish before slowing to a trot and resuming her monologue. "It's funny. I wish I fit in better at school, but mom says that doesn't matter any. Someone with big dreams and big plans like me will blossom out in the real world, she says, while for the cheerleaders and football jocks, this is as good as it’ll get. Their lives will just head downhill after this. I hope that's right about me, at least. It's no fun feeling like a freak, darn it. I'll bet you felt a little like a misfit too, back when you were on the TV show, huh, big guy?"

Bolt hung his head while still continuing to jog along. "Yeah, you're right -- more than you know," he thought, a pained look crossing his face. "Those cats from the show teased me night after night in my trailer after you left. Nobody likes being made fun of. They really played on my worst fears, too. I actually thought they were after you 24/7, Penny. Darned little stinkers. Though I gotta say, I'm glad Mittens finally opened my eyes to how great cats can be. She’s really special. Been my savior time and again in so many ways."

2.

Girl and dog reached an open, fallow field further along. The sky seemed huge, with heavy elongated clouds stretching for miles that intermittently blocked the sunlight. Across the road lay a large patch of pumpkins, orange heads peeking out of green prickly vines and elephant ear leaves. Penny and Bolt lay on their backs, now listening to Edmunds’s bubbly cover of "Girls Talk." She plucked a stalk of grass and put it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Bolt, I can't tell you how happy I am for you and Mittens. I guess it was inevitable, given how isolated we seem to be around here -- but still, it was really courageous of you two to embark on such an unorthodox relationship. That's got to be one for the books, huh?"

"The paperback version of ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ comes to mind," thought the little shepherd. "Still, I wouldn't trade what she and I have for anything."

Penny sighed heavily. "I sure wish I had someone who cared about me like that. I know, I know. Mom says it’ll happen for me someday. But when?" Tears began to trickle down her cheek. "I’m getting so tired of dumb boys who just want to kiss and… stuff. Yeah, it's fun, but… I wish I had more. I'd trade it all for someone who understood me and made me feel comfortable."

She sniffed back her tears and sat up. "Oh!" she said, her face twisting in disgust. "I can't believe that stupid idiot Shawn! Big indie pop-star wannabe. Y’know, you guys were right to avoid him -- none of you liked him from the get-go, I could tell. Boy, I wish I’d trusted you about that. Boys like Shawn -- well, let’s just say there’s a whole lot of folks like him working as coffee shop baristas, hoping for that big break that never comes. He thinks he’s such an amazing talent, too. Heck, he can hardly tune his dumb guitar -- did you know that? Not to mention those dopey songs of his. Who's ever going to want to hear them? They make Phoebe Buffay’s stupid tunes on ‘Friends’ sound like Beatles classics."

The girl’s disgust turned to anger. "That lousy creep! Smooching with me one minute and then snogging Jenny the majorette the next. You can trust me, he says. Not likely, let me tell you. Says he feels threatened by my past, too. C’mon, really? I'm not a TV star anymore, and I’m no superhero. Never was. Believe me, being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You're always needed somewhere. People get jealous of you, even folks who don’t know anything about you. It gets real hard to tell if someone actually likes you or is just using you. Makes it tough to have friends -- real friends, I mean. You haven’t got any privacy, either. Everyone gawks at you -- and the nicest ones simply leave it at that. Others come up and pester you about all kinds of dumb stuff. If you're lucky, they just ask for an autograph, say how much they liked your show, and shake your hand." She chuckled wryly. "Like I'm telling you anything you don't already know, huh buddy? Could you believe that one weirdo we ran into at the mall last week? She insisted on getting a souvenir swatch of hair from your tail! You were awfully cooperative with that loony tune, big guy."

Bolt grumbled and shook his head. "Don't remind me," he thought. "That was a first, and with any luck, a last… "

Penny started to cry in earnest. "Darn it, what's wrong with him? I’m just a girl. I’ve got feelings just like anybody else. I'm no different than anybody else. What a jerk! What a lousy, stinking jerk! I hate him!"

She snapped off the music and continued to cry. Bolt rolled on his side facing the girl, put a paw on her arm, and whimpered. He hated to see his master so sad. "I wish I had good advice for you, Penny," he thought. "I wish I could talk to you so you understood me. I want so much to tell you everything'll be okay, that your special polar bear is out there somewhere. I have a feeling things really will turn out all right eventually, but I wish I knew for sure. I love you, Penny. Please don’t cry."

"Aw, Bolty -- you’re a sweetheart," sniffed the girl. "I'll bet you get tired of me baring my soul to you on these long walks of ours. I just don't have anyone else to talk to about this kind of stuff. You understand. I know you do. Thanks."

"Not a problem," the pooch thought, tail thumping. "I could listen to you all day. It's okay by me, whatever you want to say. You can confide in me anytime. I'm awfully good at keeping secrets, too."

Penny pushed the dog over on his back and gave him an affectionate belly rub. He never tired of them and whined his approval.

"Shhhhh," the girl whispered. She put her head on the little shepherd’s chest so she could listen to his heart. It pumped strong and stout, which put a smile on Penny’s face.

"Good," she said finally. "You sound nice and healthy to me. I hope it's going to be a really, really long time before your heart finally gives out. I want you and Mittens to be with us for a long, long time." (Rhino was over three years old by now, an eternity for a hamster. She knew he wouldn’t likely be around a lot longer, or she’d have wished the same for him). "Not that I know a lot of veterinary stuff yet, but anything I can do to keep you here as long as possible is okay by me. You’re my good boy, and I love you. You’re the best, you silly doggie."

Penny kissed the pooch’s forehead and gave his chest a warm pat, then bounced up onto her feet. "Okay, Bolty," she said energetically. "How’s about we play a little fetch-the-stick, then head back? Think that’d be fun? Huh? Huh?"

The dog sprang up and wagged his tail. "One of my favorite games, but sure, you already knew that," Bolt thought. Penny turned her iPod back on and "Born Fighter" by Nick Lowe came galloping through it. They played for some time to the strains of one buoyant selection after another.

"Days like this," the girl thought happily. "Maybe life’s not so perfect all the time, but days like this sure help. In a way, they're among the best, if you look at it right. Just keep remembering that the glass is half full, okay?"


End file.
